With four matchdays remaining in the Liga Hypermotion, Cultural Leonesa has already started shaping its sports project for the 2026-27 season, regardless of which division the team will be playing in—likely Primera Federación. To secure another year in professional football, the León side would need to win all four remaining games, a highly unlikely scenario given they have only managed eight wins so far. Their upcoming fixtures include home matches against SD Éibar and Burgos CF, both fighting for playoff spots, as well as Albacete and Real Sociedad B on the final matchday, with the latter also battling for survival.
The club’s first priority is to appoint a sporting director to lead the sporting project, a position that has been vacant since José Manzanera was dismissed on March 29 following a 0-4 loss to FC Andorra. Although some details remain to be finalized, the chosen candidate is Asier Goiria (born September 19, 1980, in Amorebieta). The new sporting director has previously served in executive roles at two clubs: Amorebieta and Real Murcia. During his seven-year stint at the Basque club, he achieved two promotions to Segunda División—first in the 2020-21 season by beating CD Badajoz in the playoff final, and then directly in 2022-23. Over the past two seasons at Real Murcia, he guided the team to the playoffs in the first year but resigned this season due to poor results. As a player, Goiria also has ample experience, having debuted in La Liga with Numancia CF and played in Segunda División for Eibar, Cartagena, Girona, CD Mirandés, and Numancia.
The club is also working on securing a manager to work alongside Goiria. The owners, Aspire Academy of Qatar, intend for Rubén de la Barrera to remain at the helm. De la Barrera has expressed his willingness to stay, even if the team is relegated. However, both Goiria and De la Barrera face a significant challenge: for the 2026-27 season, only three players—Rodri Suárez, Calero, and Yayo—are under contract.
